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The Daily Vet is a blog featuring veterinarians from all walks of life. Every week they will tackle entertaining, interesting, and sometimes difficult topics in the world of animal medicine – all in the hopes that their unique insights and personal experiences will help you to understand your pets.

"Is Your Pet Right-Pawed, Left-Pawed, or Ambidextrous?"

I think all of my animals are left-handed (or pawed and hoofed to be precise). I read an article in my local paper last week that asked “Is your pet right-pawed, left-pawed, or ambidextrous?” and started paying closer attention to their behavior. According to the Coloradoan, a “1991 study at Ataturk University in Turkey showed 50 percent of cats were right-pawed, 40 percent were left-pawed and 10 percent were ambidextrous,” and a “2006 study from the University of Manchester in England showed dogs were split half-and-half.”

I’ve known for years that my horse is left-hoofed. When I work with him in the ring, he always moves more readily and gracefully to the left versus the right. He’s not lame and doesn’t have any neurological issues, I think it’s just easier for him to lead with his left hoof and bend his body in that direction. With training, I can get him to perform new moves well in both directions, but we usually have to work much longer going to the right to achieve the same results.

I watched Vicky (my cat) this morning trying to get my attention as I sat on the couch reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee. Using her paw, she patted my arm and leg … with claws unsheathed for maximal effect. As I ignored her pleas for a head rub (poor thing, she must have wondered what was going on) I observed that she hit me roughly twice as often with her left paw in comparison to her right.

And then there’s Apollo. While Vicky was pestering me, he vied for Richard’s attention at the base of a nearby armchair by putting his left paw on Richard’s knee. Of course his right side was wedged between Richard’s leg and the chair at the time so he may have only been doing what was easiest … more research is needed.